Dow's Texas polyethylene expansion on track for 2017 startup

20-May-16

Dow Chemical's polyethylene expansion at its Freeport, Texas, complex is on track for a mid-2017 startup, a Dow representative has been reported by Platts. "The performance plastics derivative investments are progressing along well and are on track for a synchronized start-up of the new ethylene unit," the representative, who asked not to be named, said. Dow's construction of its world-scale steam cracker is 50% complete, with startup expected in mid-2017, the company said in its Q1 earnings call last month. The Freeport complex currently has a 640,000 m tpa of polyethylene capacity and is expected to add 1,050,000 m tpa of LDPE and LLDPE, S&P Global Platts data showed. The 1.5 mln mtpa ethylene capacity cracker being built at Dow's Freeport petrochemical complex will use ethane as its main feedstock but feature up to 30% of initial propane flexibility. Four derivative plants and a bi-modal gas phase debottlenecking will be synced with the startup of the cracker, the company said in an earnings call last month. "Three of the derivative units associated with the ethylene plant are on schedule to start at the same time as the cracker," the representative said, adding that the fourth unit will come online about 12 months after commissioning of the ethylene plant.